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Creme Caramel from Bouchon
By way of The Los Angeles Times
Well, this is getting to be a habit around here – making recipes from the Los Angeles Times Food Section. Last week the Times ran a recipe for Creme Caramel from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant. I just had to try it – I am a sucker for custard desserts and creme caramel is my fave. I can never resist the combination of caramel and creamy custard. But this one is different; it is by far and away the finest, most sophisticated rendition of this dessert I have ever eaten. Not too sweet and made with only milk, you’ll find no ½ & ½ or heavy cream here, it has an utterly seductive texture that is silky and light. Just the right ratio of eggs and egg yolks to milk and a low cooking temperature ensure a most elegant set, a custard that jiggles just a bit on the plate and melts on your tongue. I have five words for you: Do try this at home.
Click here for the LA Times recipe.
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Mardi Gras King Cake
Well, I’ve never been a Mardi Gras reveler, and until today I had never made a King Cake. But Noelle Carter’s recipe in last Thursday’s LA Times Food Section was a temptation I could not resist. And why should I? After all, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, the great day of indulgence, is upon us.
King Cake season runs from Twelfth Night to Ash Wednesday and comes to us from the Catholic tradition and believe it or not, ancient Rome. The cake represents the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the infant Jesus; baked in each King Cake is a small charm, most commonly a baby representing the infant Jesus. Less often seen in America is a charm depicting a King wearing a crown. The notion of this trinket has its origins in the ancient Roman Saturnalia banquets where beans were used to elect the King of the Feast. The rite continued, but over time, the voting gave way to the bean (and later a small trinket) being baked into a celebration pastry, and the old gods gave way to the new. Read the remainder of this entry »
The Los Angeles Times Food Section
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I have read The Los Angeles Times Food Section for as long as I can remember. We are pretty darn fortunate here in LA to have a fully functioning test kitchen staffed by skilled and knowledgeable food writers, and I am pleased to share with you the occasional recipe and article. My first recipe comes from the archives of the Times; it ran well over twenty years ago. Those of you who attended Los Angeles City Schools for Junior or Senior High School will recognize the Sweet Rolls that the doyennes of the cafeteria sold at Nutrition. For those of you who did not attend LA Unified, let me explain. Read the remainder of this entry »